Observations. Ideas. Existential Quandaries. Absurdity.

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The Legend of (Your Name Here)

This is a Ted talk called “How to Find and Do the Work You Love” by a guy Scott Dinsmore who started something called live your legend. Essentially he says that 80% of people are not happy with their jobs, and as Warren Buffett put it, working jobs as a resume builder is like saving up sex for old age. You’ve got to do what you love now.

I was excited watching the video because I felt like I was already following his advice before I even saw the video. As he suggests, I surround myself with encouraging people who care about my happiness, and success in my own terms. But that doesn’t mean they can’t offer constructive criticism. If I was trying to make it as a pro-football player, my family and friends would hopefully talk some sense into me. But I’m not, I’m trying to make it as a writer, and I am so grateful for the amount and type of support I get. And by the way, I am out on a limb as much as the next guy who would go this route—I haven’t made a dime writing… yet.

Not only on my day to day life though, but at the event that sparked this blog I was surrounded by people who were doing what I want to do. Not precisely, you’ve always got to have your own angle, but they were excellent models for how to throw off the jealous and vindictive weights which society places on you, in an attempt by the cynics to make themselves feel better by keeping you at the bottom with the masses. Politics was (and in many ways still is) my passion, but what I learned from the people I surrounded myself with is that it is not political theory or facts that is lacking, it is the philosophical basis on which people live their lives. Scott asks, what if instead of 80% of people hating their jobs, all 80% of those people did exactly what they wanted to do, and loved it? Can you imagine the type of world we could create? And that transcends politics.

I like the quote he uses from Gandhi: “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, and then you win”. And it is so true! As much as we need to surround ourselves with the right people for our success, other depressed robots seek to make sure those around them remain depressed robots. Misery loves company, and they will work to keep you miserable. So find what you love, and do that. If it has to start as a hobby, so be it, but don’t let it fade away, don’t be too tired to make a run for the money, and don’t wait until you’re dead to go for the gold.

He closes by asking the audience, “What is the work you can’t, not do?”